Netflix Wants to Introduce 20 New Original Series Each Year, as if You Need More Choices

Let’s be honest here: you probably spend more time browsing your options on Netflix Instant than you do actually watching anything. And now to add to your ongoing decision-making dilemma, Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos has announced that the service plans to start launching 20 (twenty!) new original series a year. Now you’ll never run out of options for weekend binge-watching.

Variety reports that Sarandos made the announcement during a Q&A with ‘Arrested Development’ creator Mitch Hurwitz and ‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan at the NATPE conference. Sarandos said the company isn’t “trying to define the brand by any one show,” and is interested in giving viewers as much variety as possible, while also targeting specific demographics.

And let’s be honest about something else: you’re more likely to watch a TV show on Netflix than you are to watch a movie—shows run shorter, but also allow for the possibility of watching multiple episodes when you have the time for it. Our brains just find this more appealing and convenient (and for as much as I love movies, I too am guilty of skipping something on my to-do list in favor of binge-watching a new series).

But there’s something about 20 new shows a year that seems a little worrisome. While other networks like HBO, AMC, and Showtime are all known for their quality content, Netflix’s approach seems to be quantity over quality—rather than focus on a handful of original shows and making them the best that they can be, the service wants to develop as many new shows as possible. Clearly we don’t want good shows; we just want to have tons of options.

Sarandos’ announcement is definitely in keeping with the experience of Netflix: a seemingly endless selection of titles, but only a fraction of them are actually appealing. But given how much time we spend browsing instead of watching (don’t lie—you do this too), maybe Sarandos knows what’s up.